Hailey Van Lith is on her first Olympics run at the 2024 Paris Summer Games with Team USA 3×3 basketball. On Thursday, Van Lith & Co. took on Australia with NBA veteran Kevin Durant in attendance.
Team USA Instagram posted a picture of Durant sitting courtside with the caption:
“Game recognizes game🏀 @easymoneysniper spotted supporting the U.S. women’s @usab3x3 team in their matchup vs Australia.”
Fans commented on his presence with some claiming that Kevin Durant knew these players are amazing and others acknowledging his love for the sport.
“Went to see baddies,” one fan wrote.
“Clubs, vacation, parties wherever he is, he breathers basketball,” another fan wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Kevin Durant and the men’s USA basketball team have been on a victory run as they won their first two games against Serbia and South Sudan. With this, Team USA has now qualified for the quarterfinals scheduled for Tuesday. They have one more game against Puerto Rico on Saturday.
The 3×3 women’s USA team, on the other hand, was on a disappointing run after consecutive losses to Australia, Azerbaijan and Germany. However, they managed to redeem themselves after the 17-11 win over Spain in their second game on Thursday.
The team, with Hailey Van Lith, Dearica Hamby, Cierra Burdick, and Rhyne Howard, is still at the bottom of the standings with a 1-3 record. While it may be tough to advance to the knockout rounds, they still have hope with four more games left in their schedule.
Hailey Van Lith explains her love for the 3×3 format
Hailey Van Lith has been playing the 3×3 game since high school, representing the USA in international tournaments. She has won two of her five gold medals in 3×3 games. Talking about her love for the format, she said: (via Olympics.com).
“There’s a toughness and a grittiness about three-on-three that I feel like it fits my personality really well. So I just feel at home: I feel like it fits me perfectly.”
Her Paris Olympic debut marked the first time since 1988 that a college player participated in basketball at the Games. After her time in Paris, Hailey Van Lith will be returning to college, this time playing for TCU.
After her lone season with the LSU Tigers ended in disappointment, Van Lith transferred once again. This will be her final college season, after which she has hopes of making it into the WNBA.
Also read: Hailey Van Lith stats today: How did Team USA 3×3 basketball Olympics star perform vs. Spain?
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Edited by Debasish
